Capping device

Abstract

To provide a capping device capable of stably conveying a cap even when a rotation speed of a cap wheel is increased.SOLUTION: A cap feeding part 24 of a capping device 22 includes movable guides 38A, 38B that guide an outer periphery and a top face of a cap C inside pockets 30A, 30B at a guide position corresponding to the pockets 30A, 30B. A control device 43 makes the movable guides 38A, 38B stand by in a non-guide position other than the guide position until the cap C is accommodated in the pockets 30A, 30B. When the cap C is accommodated in the pockets 30A, 30B, the movable guides 38A, 38B and a cap wheel 26 are relatively moved to position the movable guides 38A, 38B to the guide position. In this state, the cap wheel 26 and the movable guides 38A, 38B are rotated to convey the cap C below capping heads 22A, 22B, then the movable guides 38A, 38B are moved to the non-guide position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a capping device having a cap wheel. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the capping device disclosed in Patent Document 1, caps 18 supplied from a chute 22 are supplied to capping heads 16A and 16B via a cap supply unit 20. The cap supply unit 20 includes a generally fan-shaped cap wheel 24 that rotates intermittently around a rotation axis 52. The cap wheel 24 has two pockets 56a and 56b on its outer periphery for receiving the caps 18 from the chute 22. In this device, rotating levers 60 and 62 are provided beside the pockets 56a and 56b. The tips of the rotating levers 60 and 62a engage with the outer peripheries of the caps stored in the pockets 56a and 56b, preventing the caps from flying out of the pockets as the cap wheel 24 rotates.

[0003] Patent Document 2 also discloses a cap supply unit 1 that stores caps 2 in pockets 14 provided on the outer periphery of a fan-shaped pocket picker 12 that rotates intermittently around an axis 10 and transports the caps 2 to a cap transfer position B where the caps 2 are handed over to a capping head. In this device, radial movement of the caps 2 in the pockets 14 is restricted up to just before the cap transfer position B by a plurality of friction means 16 arranged along the movement path of the pockets 14 and facing the openings of the pockets 14. Also, below the pocket picker 12, a moving guide 18 extends from the axis 10 to the outside of the pockets 14, and is capable of reciprocating around the axis 10 between the downstream end C of the friction means 16 and the cap transfer position B. A guide portion 18a at the tip of the moving guide 18 protrudes upward to a height that allows it to face the openings of the pockets 14. The moving guide 18 moves integrally when the pocket picker 12 moves between the downstream end C and the cap transfer position B, and the guide portion 18a restricts the radial movement of the cap 2 stored in the pocket 14. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5267309 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4742290 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the other hand, to increase the cap supply capacity of an intermittent cap supply unit, it is necessary to increase the rotation speed of the cap wheel (pocket picker).However, increasing the rotation speed increases the centrifugal force acting on the caps and the inertial force during acceleration / deceleration, and simply restricting the movement of the caps from the outside of the pocket, as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, can lead to problems such as the caps tilting or flying out during movement.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a capping device that can transport caps stably even when the rotation speed of the cap wheel is increased. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The capping device of the first aspect of the present invention comprises a container wheel that holds containers using a container holding means and rotates intermittently, a cap wheel having at least one pocket for accommodating caps supplied from a chute, a cap wheel drive means for intermittently rotating the cap wheel, at least one capping head that receives caps from the cap wheel and attaches them to containers, and an elevating means for raising and lowering the capping head, wherein the cap wheel has a relief portion that does not interfere with the capping head when it is raised and lowered, and the cap wheel and the container wheel are arranged so that a portion of the cap wheel overlaps with the cap held by the cap wheel and the container held by the container wheel are positioned on the same axis, and after the capping head receives each cap from the cap wheel, the cap wheel is moved to a position where the capping head does not interfere. a cap wheel driving means for driving the cap wheel; a control means for controlling the cap wheel driving means and the moving guide driving means; and a control means for controlling the cap wheel driving means and the moving guide driving means. The control means keeps the moving guide waiting at a non-guide position other than the guide position until a cap is stored in the pocket, and when a cap is stored in the pocket, moves the moving guide and the cap wheel relative to each other to position the moving guide at the guide position. In this state, the control means rotates the cap wheel and the moving guide to transport the cap below the capping head, and then moves the moving guide to the non-guide position.

[0008] A capping device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the capping device according to the first aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the cap wheel has two of the pockets.

[0009] The third invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, a fixed guide is provided on the outer periphery of a predetermined section from downstream of the chute in the pocket transport section from the chute to below the capping head, and the cap wheel guides the outer periphery of the cap stored in the pocket using the fixed guide, while transporting the cap to a moving guide waiting at the non-guide position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a capping device that can transport caps stably even when the rotation speed of the cap wheel is increased. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a filling and capping device equipped with a capping device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the cap supply unit of the capping device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view along the chute of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a cap supply unit. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a cap supplying process performed by a cap supplying unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the layout of a filling and capping device that employs a capping device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The filling and capping device 10 of this embodiment is, for example, a rotary-type filling and capping device, and includes a container wheel 14 that rotates on a base 12 about a vertical axis A. A number of pockets (container holding means) 14A, each shaped to fit the outer peripheral surface shape (e.g., a cylindrical surface) of a container V, are provided at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the container wheel 14. In addition, container conveying guides (container holding means) 14B are arranged along the outer periphery of the container wheel 14 outside the pockets 14A.

[0014] The bottom surface of the container V is supported by the base 12, and the side of the container V facing the container wheel 14 is accommodated in the pocket 14A and is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the pocket 14A. The side of the container V opposite the container wheel 14 is guided by the container conveying guide 14B, and the movement of the container V is restricted along the outer periphery of the star wheel. When the container wheel 14 is intermittently rotated in accordance with the pitch of the pockets 14A, the containers V accommodated in each pocket 14A are intermittently conveyed along the container conveying guide 14B. In the example of Figure 1, the container wheel 14 is rotated counterclockwise.

[0015] Container conveying guide 14B is provided around substantially the entire circumference of container wheel 14 except for a predetermined section. In the predetermined section where container conveying guide 14B is not provided, supply conveyor 16 and discharge conveyor 18 are arranged side by side and parallel along the approximate radial direction of container wheel 14. At predetermined positions on the conveying path of containers V conveyed by container wheel 14, there are arranged above filling device 20 that fills contents into containers V, and downstream therefrom, there is arranged capping device 22 that caps filled containers V.

[0016] Empty containers V supplied from the supply conveyor 16 to each pocket 14A are filled in the filling device 20 while being intermittently transported by the container wheel 14, and then caps C are attached to the mouths of the containers V (capping) in the capping device 22. After filling and capping, the containers V are then discharged to a downstream processing device via the discharge conveyor 18. In the example of FIG. 1, the supply conveyor 16 and the discharge conveyor 18 are disposed at the 3 o'clock position relative to the container wheel 14, the filling device 20 at the 12 o'clock position, and the capping device 22 at the 6 o'clock position. In the example of FIG. 1, the filling device 20 is provided with four filling nozzles 20A, and the capping device 22 is provided with, for example, two capping heads 22A and 22B. The capping device 22 is provided with a cap supply unit 24, and caps C are supplied to the capping heads 22A and 22B from the cap supply unit 24 disposed adjacent to the container wheel 14.

[0017] Next, the configuration of the cap supply unit 24 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a schematic plan view centered on the cap supply unit 24, and Figure 3 is a schematic side view taken along the chute 28 in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cap supply unit 24.

[0018] The cap supply unit 24 includes a cap wheel 26 and a chute 28 that supplies caps C to the cap wheel 26. The cap wheel 26 includes a fan-shaped cap holding portion 30, and the rest of the cap wheel 26 is configured as a clearance portion (free space) 31 that does not interfere with the ascending and descending capping heads 22A, 22B. The cap wheel 26 is attached to a rotation shaft 26A whose center is vertical, so that the cap holding portion 30 is intermittently rotated synchronously around the rotation shaft 26A in the same direction as the star holes 14, for example.

[0019] Two pockets, for example, 30A and 30B, are provided adjacent to each other on the outer periphery of the cap holder 30 for holding caps C. Each pocket 30A or 30B of the cap holder 30 includes a side support block 32 with a substantially semicircular recess that supports the outer periphery of the cap C held therein, and a support plate 34 attached to the underside of the side support block 32 and supporting the bottom of the cap C (see FIG. 3). Caps C are sequentially supplied to the pockets 30A or 30B from a chute 28, and the caps C held in the pockets 30A or 30B are transported to the cap transfer position directly below the capping heads 22A or 22B, respectively, by the intermittent rotation of the cap wheel 26. The cap wheel 26 is positioned so as to overlap a portion of the container wheel 14, so that the caps C held in the pockets 30A or 30B and the two containers V held by the container wheel 14 are aligned on the same axis.

[0020] 2 and 3, the cap holding unit 30 is positioned at the cap delivery position, and in Fig. 3, the state in which the cap holding unit 30 has been moved to the cap receiving position where it receives caps from the chute 28 is depicted by a dashed line. At the cap delivery position, the capping heads 22A and 22B are located directly above the caps C stored in the pockets 30A and 30B, and the container V stored in the pocket 14A of the container wheel 14 and being transported is located directly below.

[0021] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the chute 28 is disposed opposite the capping device 22, with its downstream portion aligned radially along the cap wheel 26. A stopper 28A that can move forward and backward along the cap conveying path is provided at the outlet of the chute 28, and the stopper 28A retracts from the conveying path only when the pocket 30A or the pocket 30B faces the outlet of the chute 28 and stops, thereby discharging the cap C from the chute 28. An air nozzle 28B is also provided adjacent to the downstream portion of the chute 28. When the cap C held by the stopper 28A is discharged from the chute 28, the air nozzle 28B sprays air from behind the cap C toward the pockets 30A and 30B, thereby assisting in discharging the cap C into the pockets 30A and 30B.

[0022] A fixed guide 36 is provided adjacent to the chute 28 on the cap wheel 26 downstream of the chute 28, and extends in an arc shape over a predetermined distance along the outer periphery of the cap wheel 26, i.e., the outer periphery of the cap holding portion 30. The fixed guide 36 guides the outer peripheries of the caps C stored in the pockets 30A and 30B over that distance, restricting the movement of the caps C within the pockets. The cap wheel 26 also includes moving guides 38A and 38B that restrict the movement of the caps C stored in the pockets 30A and 30B within the pockets, from the downstream end of the fixed guide 36 to the cap transfer position.

[0023] The movable guides 38A and 38B extend radially above the cap holding unit 30 from the cap wheel 26. Their distal ends cover the top surfaces of the caps C held in the pockets 30A and 30B with a small gap between them, and are bent in an L-shape to cover the outer periphery of the cap C on the pocket opening side. The movable guides 38A and 38B are independently rotatable relative to the cap holding unit 30 around the rotation axis 26A. The heights of the L-shaped, downwardly extending portions of the movable guides 38A and 38B and the height of the fixed guide 36 are set so that they do not interfere with each other in the section where the fixed guide 36 is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the cap wheel 26 is rotated by a first servo motor (cap wheel drive means) 40, and the movable guides 38A and 38B are rotated by a second servo motor (moving guide drive means) 42.

[0024] The rotary shaft 40A of the first servo motor 40 is held on a support member 44 along the rotary shaft 26A, and the second servo motor 42 is held on the support member 44 adjacent to the first servo motor 40. As shown in FIG. 4 , the base end (main part) of the cap holder 30 is attached to the lower end of the rotary shaft 40A of the first servo motor 40. A first gear 48 is rotatably attached around the rotary shaft 40A via a bearing 46, and the base ends of the moving guides 38A and 38B are attached to the lower surface of the first gear 48. The shaft of the first gear 48 meshes with a second gear 50 attached to the rotary shaft 42A of the second servo motor 42. As a result, the cap holder 30 and the moving guides 38A and 38B can be independently rotated around the rotary shaft 26A by the first and second servo motors 40 and 42. The driving of the first and second servo motors 40 and 42 is controlled by a control device (control means) 43 (see FIG. 2).

[0025] Next, the cap supplying process operation by the cap supplying unit 24 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Note that (1) to (8) in Fig. 5 are schematic plan views showing in chronological order the caps C supplied from the chute 28 to the pockets 30A and 30B of the cap holding unit 30 being supplied to the capping heads 22A and 22B, and then the moving guides 38A and 38B returning to their standby positions, which will be described later.

[0026] 5(1) shows a state in which the cap holding unit 30 is stopped with the pocket 30A facing the tip exit of the chute 28, and the leading cap C is supplied from the chute 28 to the pocket 30A. At this time, the movable guide 38A is on standby near the downstream end of the fixed guide 36, and the movable guide 38B is on standby near the upstream end of the fixed guide 36 (standby position). Meanwhile, in the container wheel 14, the two containers V are transported directly below the capping heads 20A and 20B by the container wheel 14 rotating counterclockwise, and the rotation of the container wheel 14 is stopped.

[0027] When a cap C is stored in pocket 30A, as shown in FIG. 5(2), the cap holding unit 30 rotates counterclockwise and stops until pocket 30B faces the tip outlet of the chute 28. In this state, cap C is supplied to pocket 30B from the chute 28. When cap C is stored in pocket 30B, the cap holding unit 30 rotates counterclockwise again, and as shown in FIG. 5(3), each of pockets 30A, 30B storing cap C is rotated to a guide position corresponding to each moving guide 38A, 38B waiting in the standby position.

[0028] 5(4) and 5(5), the moving guides 38A and 38B are then rotated in synchronization with the counterclockwise rotation of the pockets 30A and 30B, and while maintaining their guide positions, they cover the top surfaces of the caps C contained in the pockets 30A and 30B and the outside of the pocket openings, thereby preventing the caps C from falling out of the pockets 30A and 30B. FIG. 5(6) shows the state in which the pockets 30A and 30B and the moving guides 38A and 38B have reached directly below the capping heads 20A and 20B, respectively, i.e., directly above the containers V held by the container wheel 14.

[0029] Next, as shown in Figure 5 (7), the movable guides 38A and 38B are rotated clockwise toward the standby position, and when the movable guides 38A and 38B are rotated to a non-guide position where they do not overlap the cap holding unit 30, the capping heads 20A and 20B are lowered and the caps C in the pockets 30A and 30B are held by the capping heads 20A and 20B. As shown in Figure 5 (8), when the movable guides 38A and 38B move to and stop at the standby position (one of the non-guide positions in relation to the pockets), the cap holding unit 30 is rotated counterclockwise to the position shown in Figure 5 (1) where the pocket 30A faces the outlet of the chute 28.

[0030] Thereafter, capping heads 20A, 20B holding caps C are lowered, and caps C are attached to the mouths of the respective containers V through recesses 31 in cap wheel 26. When capping of containers V by capping heads 20A, 20B is completed, capping heads 20A, 20B are raised to their original positions, and container wheel 14 is rotated to move the next two containers V directly below capping heads 20A, 20B, and the processes from (1) to (8) in Figure 5 are repeated. Note that capping heads 20A, 20B are raised and lowered by a lifting device (lifting means) not shown.

[0031] As described above, according to the capping device using the cap supply unit of this embodiment, the moving guide can hold the top surface of the cap inside the pocket and the outer periphery of the cap on the pocket opening side when the cap wheel rotates, so that even if the rotation speed of the cap wheel is increased, the caps C will not fall out of the pocket and the caps can be transported stably.

[0032] In this embodiment, the cap wheel has two pockets, but the number of pockets is not limited to one and may be one. In this case, the number of moving guides will be one, matching the number of pockets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10 Filling and capping equipment 14 Vessel Wheel 14A Pocket (container holding means) 14B container conveying guide (container holding means) 22 Capping device 22A, 22B Capping Head 24 Cap supply section 26 Cap Wheel 28 shots 30A, 30B pocket 31 Relief 36 Fixed guide 38A, 38B Moving Guide 40 First servo motor (cap wheel driving means) 42 Second servo motor (movement guide driving means) 43 Control device (control means) C Cap V container

Claims

1. The apparatus comprises a container wheel that holds containers by a container holding means and rotates intermittently, a cap wheel having at least one pocket for accommodating caps supplied from a chute, a cap wheel drive means for intermittently rotating the cap wheel, at least one capping head that receives caps from the cap wheel and attaches them to the containers, and an elevating means for elevating the capping head, The cap wheel is formed with a recess that does not interfere with the capping head when the capping head moves up and down, and the cap wheel and the container wheel are arranged so that a part of the cap wheel overlaps with the part of the container wheel so that the cap held by the cap wheel and the container held by the container wheel are positioned on the same axis; In a capping device, after the capping head receives each cap from the cap wheel, the cap wheel is rotated to a position where the capping head does not interfere, and the caps are attached to the containers, a moving guide that is movable in a rotational direction of the cap wheel and that guides the outer periphery and top surface of the cap accommodated in the pocket at a guide position corresponding to the pocket; a moving guide driving means for moving the moving guide; a control means for controlling the cap wheel driving means and the moving guide driving means; The capping device is characterized in that the control means causes the moving guide to wait in a non-guide position other than the guide position until a cap is placed in the pocket, and when a cap is placed in the pocket, the control means moves the moving guide and the cap wheel relative to each other to position the moving guide at the guide position, rotates the cap wheel and the moving guide in that state to transport the cap below the capping head, and then moves the moving guide to the non-guide position.

2. 2. The capping device according to claim 1, wherein the cap wheel has two of the pockets.

3. a fixed guide is provided on the outer periphery of a predetermined section from downstream of the chute in a transport section of the pocket from the chute to below the capping head; 3. The capping device according to claim 2, wherein the cap wheel guides the outer periphery of the cap stored in the pocket by the fixed guide while transporting the cap to the movable guide waiting at the non-guide position.

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